Education without looking for it!

As usual when I came to write up my home education record today I realised to my surprise just how much we'd covered as a family without any form of structured education at all. It was a Saturday morning and whilst my husband and eldest son decided to go and look at cars , my daughter and her twin brother stayed at home with me.

My daughter decided to make fairy cakes from a cake mixture we had bought from the supermarket earlier this week. Having gone over the intructions with her I left her in the kitchen to measure her water, crack her egg and whisk her cake mixture ready for the oven.
Her brother meanwhile played Minecraft on his computer , a game which is recognised to help with mathematical and problem solving skills.
By the afternoon it was off to our local independent supermarket, as my daughter was bag packing to raise money for our local children's ward. I was so proud of her as she at the age of eleven, spent the afternoon helping the customers pack their shopping at the tills. I overheard a conversation between a lady customer and the scout leader as she informed him that it was a great way for them to learn new life skills but perhaps they needed 'a bit more training'. I smiled as the most important lesson my daughter learned that day was how to handle awkward customers! Volunteering is such an important  way for children to learn how to support their community and they all did it with big smiles and willingness.
My eldest son meanwhile was learning the art of bagging a bargain as he and his dad went searching for a new car . They narrowed their search down to two almost identical cars and then set to to see which garage would offer the best deal. No deal was made until the best offer had been ascertained and my husband and son returned home happy with their purchase whilst the garage was glad to close the deal.
My younger son meanwhile , not to be outdone ,managed to purchase a science enclyclopedia for 50p which he spent the journey home reading in the car.. He has spent the evening designing a house with a home designer game he bought in a charity shop which involves maths , measuring to scale and geometry and a Mall simulation game where he receives ten percent of the profits,again an exercise in percentages and marketing skills. Not bad for a day off!